


Does Umbridge Have Banshee Blood?

by Diary



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bechdel Test Fail, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Canon Character of Color, Canon-Typical Violence, Conversations, Gen, Gen Fic, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Late Night Conversations, Love, Male Friendship, Misunderstandings, POV Character of Color, POV Dean Thomas, POV Male Character, Seamus Finnigan & Dean Thomas Friendship, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-09 14:36:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7805671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Repost. Dean tries to deal with Seamus having to use Umbridge's blood quill. Complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Does Umbridge Have Banshee Blood?

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Harry Potter.

Cautiously, Dean Thomas peeks into the bathroom.

It's Moaning Myrtle's, but he thought he heard swearing. Moaning Myrtle is going through a phase where she has a tendency to throw things at people who swear in her presence, and for all her annoying qualities, she doesn't strike Dean as hypocritical.

There's someone at one of the sinks, and he wonders if he should slip away or confront them. On the one hand, there's nothing particularly wrong with using the sinks, even if it is unusual for anyone to willing enter this bathroom. On the other hand, though, this is the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, and really, it'd be just the school's luck there'd be another, unknown Parseltongue running around who's decided having an old bat like Umbridge in charge is the perfect time to try to use the dead basilisk for something involving the death of all muggle-borns. 

Then, the sunlight catches the person's hair, and Dean relaxes.

"Shay."

Seamus looks over. "Don't start lecturing," he grumbles.

Seeing Seamus is applying soap to his hand, Dean reaches over and carefully wraps his hand around Seamus’s wrist. "Did you hurt your hand?”

"Don't know how I'm going to hide this from Mam," Seamus mutters. "Suppose I can always blame it on Malfoy. Say I lost a bet or something. He'd be..."

 _I must obey the rules,_ is carved into the skin, and Dean feels a rush of anger coursing through him.

"Umbridge did this.”

"Or I could say the Weasleys were in an inventive mood and paid me to be a test subject," Seamus continues. "'Course, if she-"

"Seamus!"

This causes a wince, but before Dean can apologise, Seamus snaps, "Oi, it's not like I told her anything. What's gotten into you?"

The contrast of hard, blood red against pale white, soft skin makes his stomach lurch violently.

Shay mustn't obey the rules. Despite being told not to, he spent a good amount of first year trying to turn water into rum, and once he finally managed it, he happily drank it and shared it with others. He knows how to apparate, and while others often give sweets to Neville, Seamus none-too-subtly nicks them.

"She knows you're part of Dumbledore's Army, now."

"Suspects, yeah," Seamus says. Leaning against the sink and giving his customary grin, he continues, "Gotta remember to give Luna some chocolate toads. Babbled all about Fudge's anti-goblin policies, I did. Reckon Umbridge fancies her boss," he finishes with a comically disgusted face.

"Frogs," Dean automatically corrects.

Shay's the one more familiar with the wizarding world, and he'd made a promise to Dean's parents to protect him. But he's the one who's supposed to protect Shay, too; he’s supposed to keep him from falling into the fireplace, from losing his temper and socking Malfoy, and from being hurt by sadistic, phoney headmistresses who uses Dark objects on students.

"I never should have brought you in."

Seamus jerks his hand away, and Dean finds himself on the receiving end of a glare usually reserved for the likes of Malfoy. Seamus says something both their mums would murder them for, and while Dean's still reeling, Seamus declares, "I made a mistake. You know me mam, how stern she can be. But this is mighty low, _mate_. Doesn't matter if no one else trusts me. Thought I could count on you, of all people."

Before Dean can react, Seamus is stalking out of the bathroom.

Dean rushes after him. "Shay!"

"Thomas!"

Wincing, Dean turns to see one of the seventh year Gryffindor prefects glaring down at him. "What were you doing in the girls' toilets?"

0

After his detention, he makes his way to the dorm and finds Neville visibly trying to concentrate on a book and ignore the fact he’s being repeatedly smacked by a plant.

"Really," Harry says, and Dean notices his glasses are twisted, "Hermione can fix them once-"

"Harry, would you please stop encouraging it? It has to learn that nicking things and hitting people when it doesn't get its way isn't alright," Neville lectures. "It can have the blocks back once it stays still for an hour."

In response, the plant manages to get a hold of a pillow and starts whacking Neville.

Dean slips behind Seamus's curtains. "Hey," he says.

He notices Seamus’s bed is covered in chocolate frog cards and knows this is a sure sign as any he's not welcome on it. 

"The bleedin' ivy didn't steal Harry's glasses," is the short reply.

Wonderful, Dean thinks, and wonders if all the wincing he's been doing is going to have permanent lasting damage.

He ducks out.

0

During the night, he slips into Seamus's bed.

Aside from the fact he kicks Dean when he’s more likely to wrap his legs around somebody, Seamus does a fair job of pretending to be asleep.

Not sure what to do, Dean finds one of Seamus's hands and holds it. The fact he isn't kicked again gives him hope. "You got it wrong, Shay," he whispers. "You had to use a blood quill because of-"

"To Circe with that noise," Seamus retorts. "I had to use it because Umbridge is a freak. Think she might have banshee in her," he mutters. "Gonna talk to Luna, see what she thinks."

Hoping this means they're okay, Dean gives a gentle squeeze. "Seems like you fancy Luna," he teases.

Another kick is his answer.

"You're mental," Seamus answers in a mild enough tone Dean supposes Seamus really doesn’t. "'Sides, I know who she gives the chocolate frogs I give to her."

"Who?"

"'m still mad at you."

However, he presses his head against Dean's neck, and so, Dean says, "Fair enough. I'll buy you a butterbeer when we go to Hogsmeade."

There's a soft trickling of air when Seamus says, "I don't care how many blood quills she uses. You-Know-Who is going to come after people like you and me dad and Hermione and me mam, and I'm not going to let 'im. Reckon Harry needs all he can get."

"Lucky he has us, then," Dean replies.

They fall asleep.


End file.
